Apple Releases iTunes 12.7 With Major Changes, Including No Built-In App Store

Tuesday September 12, 2017 5:41 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In a day filled with surprises, Apple has shocked us once again with the release of iTunes 12.7, which entirely revamps the iTunes App. The new iTunes is designed to focus solely on music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks, which means there is no built-in App Store.


The App Store has been entirely eliminated in iTunes 12.7, as has the ringtones section of iTunes. Internet Radio is now part of Music, and iTunes U has been folded into Podcasts, as Apple announced in late August.


Apps can now only be downloaded on an iOS device using an iOS device, and the same goes for ringtones. In addition to the removal of the App Store, today's update adds support for syncing iOS 11 devices and includes support for new Apple Music features that allow you to follow friends and see what they're listening to.
The new iTunes focuses on music, movies, TV shows, and audiobooks. It adds support for syncing iOS 11 devices and includes new features for--

Apple Music. Now discover music with friends. Members can create profiles and follow each other to see music they are listening to and any playlists they've shared.

Podcasts. iTunes U collections are now part of the Apple Podcasts family. Search and explore free educational content produced by leading schools, universities, museums, and cultural institutions all in one place.

If you previously used iTunes to sync apps or ringtones on your iOS device, use the new App Store or Sounds Settings on iOS to redownload them without your Mac.
The new iTunes 12.7 update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store through the Software Update mechanism. The update is available for all iTunes users at no cost.

Tag: iTunes
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killr_b
32 months ago
What if you made your own custom ringtones?
Rating: 85 Votes
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randyhudson
32 months ago
I guess there's no more way to install a previous version of an App when a developer releases a newer version full of advertisements/bugs. I went back to the older versions of Shazam, IMDB, TWC, etc., before they sucked.
Rating: 75 Votes
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Paradoxally
32 months ago
Great decision Apple. Who downloads iOS apps on their Mac anyway?

Anything that removes bloat from iTunes is good for me.
Rating: 72 Votes
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HiVolt
32 months ago
I hope iTunes backups still back up the Apps, so you don't have to freakin re-download them all when doing a restore.

And so much for being able to keep .IPA backups of older apps no longer sold or on the app store, that you've purchased.
Rating: 68 Votes
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Appleaker
32 months ago
People are saying this is a good thing, they don’t realise the lost functionality. If they want to improve iTunes performance and make it less cluttered, completely removing features like this isn’t the answer. I agree with it, but I also think there should be another application for syncing devices and managing apps.
Rating: 64 Votes
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mmm1345
32 months ago

Great decision Apple. Who downloads iOS apps on their Mac anyway?

Anything that removes bloat from iTunes is good for me.


I do, this is stupid. It's easier to download an app once to my mac and sync all my apps to multiple devices than to download the same app 3 or 4 times. Not to mention, I have a LOT more apps on my computer than the ones I use on my devices. I use certain apps for certain occasions. This just f's things up for no damn reason.
Rating: 61 Votes
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AstroRob
32 months ago

What if you made your own custom ringtones?


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201593

Covered in the last section.
Rating: 36 Votes
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Rob_2811
32 months ago

In a day filled with surprises


I love a bit of dry humour..
Rating: 35 Votes
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SeaFox
32 months ago

Great decision Apple. Who downloads iOS apps on their Mac anyway?


* People who don't want to redownload an app every time they want to install it? Apps can go into the gigabytes in size for some games.

* People who have apps Apple later removed from the app store for various reasons? I still have iMame on my iTunes' app collection.
Rating: 34 Votes
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sandman42
32 months ago

How do you create your own ringtones now?

Yeah, I was just about to ask that. I've made a lot of custom ringtones that I don't want to lose. What happens to them now?
Rating: 31 Votes

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